


Into the Forest of Light

by Pinkwebby



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- Hotarubi no Mori e setting, F/M, Romance, Sad Ending, Spirit!Fenris, Spirits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 05:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11844453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkwebby/pseuds/Pinkwebby
Summary: Penelope Hawke meets a 'spirit' named Fenris when she is seven. What happens when they spend every summer together?





	Into the Forest of Light

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a movie called Hotarubi no Mori e or In the Forest of Fireflies' Light. I love the movie I based this off of, and I wanted to put Fenris and Hawke in the positions. Though I think it would've worked better with Anders since he has a spirit in him, but I don't care! Woo. If you want to spoil the plot of the fic and movie for yourself, here's the wiki for the movie. [Right here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotarubi_no_Mori_e)
> 
> And this good music to listen to with this. It is also am AMV for the movie. [It hurts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNdHd1asf9s)

I think I was around six or seven, when we first met. It was a freak accident, of course. But one that I’m glad happened now.

I was visiting my Uncle Gamlen for the summer, he lived in Kirkwall. There was a huge forest on the outskirts of the city, one that my mother explained had spirits haunting the trees and taking children. I was terrified of the forest, so were my siblings. We would always run when we passed it, zooming down the sidewalk while screaming. Silly, in hindsight.

I don’t know what I was doing, how it happened, but I ended up in the forest. My memories of it are a bit fuzzy, but I can certainly remember the terror and even the eerie beauty of the silent trees. But I was sobbing, calling for my mom, for my uncle, for anyone.

I had my head in my knees, crying. My tears were staining my shorts. That’s when I heard something, a rustle in the bushes. Fear engulfed my tiny body and I looked up tentatively. And behind a tree was a man. As I looked all the way up to his face, I noticed he had a peculiar mask on his face. I sniffed and wiped my eyes. 

His mask was pure white with intricate blue line running up the mask. Two fox-like ears and a snout protruded from it, the eyes were painted black. Behind the mask, I could make out two pointed ears. The man was wearing a white button-up shirt and jeans.

Finally seeing an adult, I threw all my suspicious to the wind and got up, running to him while crying. Apparently, he didn’t like that, because he quickly backed up. I ran past him and turned around, trying to grab him again. He dodged me, almost tripping over his feet. I made one last grab and he moved just out of reach, making me fall on my stomach.

I glared up at him, before I felt my tears well up again. Why wasn’t he going to help me? I was confused and scared.

“I am sorry, but I cannot…touch you,” The man rumbled, putting his tattooed hand out in front of him almost as if he was looking at it.

“Why not?” I immediately asked, sitting up to stare at him with my big blue eyes.

“It is complicated, but when I was but a child, my parents left me in this forest. The spirits that lived here pitied me and cast a spell unto me. I age slowly, but if a human touches me, I shall disappear,” He explained.

“Why did they cast the spell onto you?” I implored, standing up and dusting my shorts off.

“I…I don’t know,” He sounded surprised, taking a step back quickly.

I wiped my cheek and looked around, “Do you know how to get out of here, mister?”

“I do, I can take you,” He said, turning to a certain part of the forest.

“Yes please!” I instinctively went to grab his hand. But he noticed and speedily put his hand up in the air.

With a sigh of relief, he moved back from me and looked around. I shivered and crossed my arms like I was cold, feeling like crying once again.

He realized it and the man went towards a bush and grabbed a stick from within it. It was thick and short, and he walked over to me, offering it to me.

I looked at it for a moment, before looking at him. Without a word, I grabbed the end. He didn’t let go, he instead started walking, pulling me along by the stick.

“Wow, you’re really smart!” I chirped, skipping along behind him.

“T-thank you,” He mumbled.

We climbed a set of stone stairs towards some kind of old statue, and I curiously stared at the crumbling monument as we passed it. I reached out to touch it, but the man pulled me along and I couldn’t.

“So, are you a spirit?” I asked after a while, tilting my head.

The man turned back with his emotionless mask, tilting his head as well, “In a manner of speaking, I guess so. I was raised by spirits.”

“Is that why you have pointy ears?”

“Maybe so.”

“Can you never leave the forest? It’s very scary here,” I said, glancing around.

“This is where I belong. The forest isn’t scary at all. You just have to find the beauty,” He told me.

“I don’t know…” I mumbled.

Finally, sunset arrived, and the man stopped. I almost bumped into him, looking up at him.

“This is the exit,” He pointed towards an opening.

“Thank you mister spirit!” I let go of the stick and ran forward, spinning around to grin at him, “Do you have a name?”

Apparently caught off guard, he stuttered, “Ah, m-my name is Fenris.”

“I’m Penelope Hawke! It was nice to meet you. Would you mind if I came back tomorrow? We could play!”

“You want to come back? I thought you said the forest was scary.”

“But you said I just need to see the beauty, so you can show me!” I puffed out my cheeks, crossing my arms stubbornly.

His mask shifted slightly on his face, “I suppose you can come back if you really want. I will meet you by the statue at noon then.”

I beamed at him, turning around and walking a few paces. I turned my head slightly, “Goodbye Fenris!” But as I looked back, he wasn’t there.

I ran home that night, excitedly telling Uncle about what happened. Gamlen laughed it off, because he didn’t believe. I went to bed that night with boundless energy, barely sleeping a wink. All I could think about was the new spirit friend I had made.

The next three days I spent almost every waking moment in the forest with Fenris. He showed me around the whole area, showing me the true beauty. And I could see it, the forest was no longer frightening. There were beautiful flowering trees, babbling creeks with clear waters, and a gorgeous meadow on the other side of the stone statue with a small pond.

I can remember when I first saw Fenris’ face, he was laying in the meadow while I picked flowers to make flower crowns for us. It was my last day in Kirkwall, and I hadn’t told Fenris yet. He had seemed to be enjoying my company and vice versa. 

I raced over to him with the messy flower crowns I had made and was about to speak to him, when I halted. His chest was rising and falling steadily, and he looked like he was asleep.

I peered over him, before dropping my crowns and getting on my knees beside him. Tilting my head, I cautiously reached out and wrapped my fingers around the mask, pulling it up fast. Underneath was nothing ghastly or hideous, but just a normal face. The white tattoos that swirled over his hands and arms were also on his chin and neck. I was relieved, and I wondered why he always wore the mask if he looked just like everyone else.

Suddenly, Fenris’ eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of meadow green eyes under long eyelashes. A small smile appeared on his face. I squealed and slammed the mask down onto his face. He gasped and reached up to touch his mask, rolling over onto his side like he was hurt.

“I-I made flower crowns!” I said quickly.

While he was leading me back to the entrance to the forest, I admitted that I was going back home for the school year. He seemed to understand, but for some reason, his mask looked sad. It was probably my imagination as a child, or even me thinking of a reason to come back.

“Don’t worry though! I’m going to come back every summer, I promise! We can spend all summer together, when the flowers are in full bloom! We can go swimming and I can make you a lot of flower crowns!” 

“I would…like that very much, Penelope,” He said, his mask shifting. I come to know that as him smiling.

“I’ll see you soon, Fenris!” I called to him as I was walking out of the forest.

“Goodbye.”

And, like I promised, I came back every summer. Uncle Gamlen probably got tired of me visited that often, but I didn’t care. I learned about the forest, about the spirits that lived there. I knew the spirits were there, sometimes I could see them out of the corner of my eyes. 

Fenris bloomed in front of me as I aged. He became more open to me, taking off his mask more often than he did before. We would do everything under the sun for fun, and I enjoyed every second of my time with him.

As I got older, I began to get feelings that I didn’t really understand. I suppose it came with being a teenager. I noticed more things about Fenris’ personality that I adored and how he looked. How much I loved his white hair and piercing green eyes. His broody demeanor and his tolerance for all the trouble I liked to get into. My age was catching up to him, since he barely aged at all. He had the looks of a 20-year-old.

I graduated high school. During the school year, I met a boy. His name was Sebastian. I was unsure how I felt about him. He seemed like a nice guy, someone who wanted to be with me clearly. He was always there to help me study, take me out to eat, or even just talk. I wanted to get away, I was ready for summer so I could see Fenris. My feelings were confused, I didn’t want to think of Sebastian like I did Fenris.

Uncle Gamlen didn’t even greet me when I came into his house. I immediately set down my stuff at the door, exchanging my tennis shoes for flipflops. “Have fun,” He called as I practically sprinted out of the house.

As I jogged down the road, I wondered if Fenris would recognize me now that I cut my black hair a bit shorter now. I giggled as I came up to the entrance to the forest. It was like a second home now. I walked down the familiar dirt path towards the old stone stairs to the statue. 

When I approached, my heart began to beat wildly as I spotted Fenris sitting on the top step, his mask still on his face as he looked out over the forest. When he heard me approach, he looked down and his mask shifted.

“Penelope,” He greeted warmly, standing up and coming down the stairs.

I stifled my urge to run up and hug him, chastising myself for even thinking about it. It had been at least 12 years since I met Fenris. I should know by now that I can’t touch him.

“Hello Fenris. How have you been?” I replied, my smile radiant.

“I have been good; the forest is in full bloom. The cherry blossom looks almost as beautiful as you,” He rumbled.

I blushed and turned my gaze away from him slightly, “I bet the meadow looks gorgeous then. Did you want to head down there?”

“I have a better idea,” Fenris nodded his head towards a part of the forest I rarely went into, “Spirits are having a festival tonight. There will be stalls of food and games to play. Then fireworks. I thought I would…take you there.”

“Like a date?” I asked hopefully, standing on my tiptoes with a cheeky grin.

“Yes, Penelope, like a date. If you will let me escort you.”

“I would love that, actually. I have never been to a spirit festival.”

“They are amazing. Nothing like human festivals. Spirits of all kinds come to these,” Fenris began walking.

When we got to where we were going, the sun had set. Blue and purple lights danced in the forest, which alerted me that the festival was in full swing.

“It can get busy during the festival,” Fenris turned to me suddenly and produced a long white strip of cloth from his shirt. He tied on edge of it to his wrist, before handing the other part to me. I gladly wrapped it around my wrist. This was like holding hands, and it left a warm feeling in my chest.

Stalls of all sorts were lined up in the clearing, and a few fireworks were already being set off. I stared at them in awe, peeking at different stalls. Most were manned by people who had on masks, but some were actually spirits who had no body.

“Look at those,” Fenris murmured to me, pointing at a stall of masks. 

“Oh wow!” I tugged on our cloth and pulled him over to the stall. I grabbed one that looked exactly like his, except with red lines instead of blue. I moved my head from side-to-side with a laugh, booping the nose on Fenris’ mask. I took the one I had on off and perused the rest of the masks. The person at the counter was a blonde man with crackling blue veins going up and down his face. They glowed and sometimes pulsated.

“What kind of spirit was he?” I asked Fenris as he directed me away.

“That is a spirit who has possessed a human that was willing. Not the best kind of spirit in my opinion,” Fenris sniffed.

After that, they got food from a stall. It was delicious, something that I would remember for a long time. We got to watch the fireworks and enjoy the scenery of the clearing. Lots of people were packed in here, I wondered if any were humans sneaking in like me.

Finally, we found ourselves walking by a river running on the edge of the clearing. It was pretty quiet over here, a pleasant change from the bustle of the festival. The cloth was still tied around both of our wrists.

“Did you enjoy the festival?” Fenris questioned as we walked.

“Very much, I’m so glad we had our first date here. It was amazing,” I said with a big grin.

“Penelope,” Fenris stopped, prompting me to stop a few steps in front of him. I turned to him with a questioning stare.

He reached up and took his mask off, revealing his face. He was smiling softly. He stepped forward, gently pressing the mask to my face. I didn’t move as he leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to the mask’s cheek. Blush rose on my face and ears and it felt like I could really feel his lips on my cheeks.

He began walking again, tugging on the cloth around our wrists. 

“W-wait, do you want your mask back?!” I exclaimed, following him.

Fenris turned his head slightly over his shoulder, his smile tender, “No, I want you to keep it.”

I watched his backside for a moment, before I caught up with him so we could walk side-by-side. That’s when it happened. Two spirit children ran past us, but one of them wasn’t watching where they were going. He tripped on something and was about to tumble forward, but Fenris quickly grabbed onto his arm to catch him.

The boy thanked him and ran off. Fenris stared at his hand as it started to glow and sparkle blue. The tattoos on his skin began to glow blue, his hand started fading. He turned to me, the softest smile appearing on his face. Fenris was disappearing, that child was no spirit. I could feel the distress rising in my throat. I gasped out loud, watching as he opened his arms out wide. His body was becoming transparent. 

Without a word, I tore the mask off my face and leapt forward, wrapping my arms around him and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I love you,” He whispered against me. And for just a moment, I felt Fenris against me, his body heat, the taste of his lips. And then I hit the ground on my knees. I sobbed into his clothes that were in my hands. My whole body shook with despair as I cried.

After a while, I pulled myself off the ground, leaving his clothes and picking up his mask. I cradled it to my chest like it was something extremely precious. I trudged through the forest, my feet feeling heavy as lead. I was keenly aware that something was watching me. I looked around, seeing other spirits hiding behind trees, frowning. They knew what had happened, they seemed to be mourning Fenris too. 

I stopped on the path, pulling the mask to my face, I lightly kissed the tip of the nose. Tears welled up in my eyes again as I went on. I approached the entrance of the forest. When I was about to step out, I turned to look into the beautiful forest.

The place Fenris called home. A place of beauty and happiness that I never ever wanted to forget. I clutched the mask close to me, my hands trembling.

“I love you, Fenris,” I whispered onto the summer breeze, hoping somehow, somewhere, it would reach him. And then I left.


End file.
